Lust and Logic
by Natmonkey
Summary: Scholar Ling isn't feeling very scholarly and collected anymore. She is hot and bothered, and she fully blames it on a certain gruff personage that has joined her entourage.


_Once upon a time, long before I'd even begun writing fan fiction, I was utterly obsessed with a game called Jade Empire. This story is long overdue, but I simply had to write it. Sky is cute and all, but *this* guy? Oh man. My infinite thanks to Fluid Consciousness (go read her exquisite stories, you know you want to) and Draguna for reading this for me and giving me their opinion. _

* * *

Ling scowled fiercely in frustration. In order to clear her raging mind, the young woman had abandoned her companions and searched for a quiet spot to meditate. Despite the severe drought that plagued the town, Tien's Landing was not quite as devoid of people as she had hoped it would be. But finally Ling had found a secluded meadow, teeming with flowers. The air was filled with their delightfully sweet fragrance. Folding her long legs underneath her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Instead of the calming nothingness that would normally enter her mind with meditation, scenes that were both pleasing and shameful began playing out behind her eyelids.

Her cheeks took on the delicate shade of peach blossoms as she recalled her first meeting with the strange warrior in the swamp. She could only stand and stare; how glorious the man looked in his deadly determination, his well-formed muscles swelling with each mighty swing of his staff. The young men at Two Rivers were nothing compared to his powerful form, the multitude of scars only adding to his appeal. Ling sighed and opened her eyes. This was ridiculous. It made no sense for her to be so attracted to the one who called himself Sagacious Zu. Certainly, he was pleasing to the eye, but he was not exactly pleasing to the soul. He was extremely distrustful of her, even though she kept no secrets. The girl sighed again. Her entire being operated on logic and reason, and here she was entertaining these illogical emotions. These bothersome physical... _things_.

She had noticed that her breathing and heart rate would pick up whenever she thought of him, or found herself close to him. Her face would become searing hot; no, it was not just her face. It was her entire body that would feel as if a fire were ignited under her skin. Even now, in the cool evening air. The temperature of the breeze was refreshing, but did nothing to soothe her heat. Then there was the dampness that was directly caused by Zu's presence, a dampness that resulted in a rather... well, _maddening_ friction that proved to be even more distracting. Why did the man insist on wearing something that only covered half of his chest and one arm? Preposterous. All her life, Ling had avoided emotional ties with anyone, especially with men. She believed that they could be very tiring. Gao the Lesser had proven this to be the truth, when he'd kidnapped Dawn Star.

Her lack of deep emotions and close relationships made the deaths of the students she had known for so long all the easier to deal with. Dawn Star was the only person she had ever shown more than a polite interest. The thought of her close friend would sometimes bring the ghost of a smile to her face. Then again, Dawn Star could probably put a smile on anyone's face, with her beauty and kindness. And of course there was the way she showed off her shapely legs and tiny waist. Not even Zu seemed unaffected by her. While most might confuse his concern for the young woman with romantic interest, Ling was intelligent enough to put two and two together. The other students hadn't called her _scholar_ Ling for nothing. She suspected some kind of familial tie between the two, or something closely resembling it. The glances he cast Dawn Star spoke more of a kind of fatherly care than the starry-eyed stares of a lover. To her great dismay, Ling felt unadulterated jealousy at this. She wished this utterly enticing man would pay attention to her, instead of to her friend. Groaning in vexation, she shook her head. None of it made any sense.

The young woman positioned herself on her back and picked a flower. Languidly she pulled out the fragile pink petals one by one, trying her hardest to banish those lustful thoughts from her mind. Her feelings, or whatever they were, were unreasonable. And annoying. She knew that she could try alleviating the pressure by taking care of it herself, but that generally only worsened it. Why some insisted on torturing themselves that way, she would never understand. The constant state of arousal she was in was nothing less than infuriating. The desire she felt, awakened by those unusually full lips she longed to tenderly kiss, was liable to destroy her usually so composed mind. All she could do was ignore it, and hope that it would go away on its own. Again she closed her eyes.

Zu, in the meantime, had noticed that Ling was gone. He felt a slight sensation of annoyance at her disappearance, mixed with a hint of worry. Perhaps more worry than was normal for him. With the town overrun by sailors, who knew what kind of trouble the girl might find herself in? Her artfully displayed bosom, framed with silk the color of the night sky, had drawn quite a few stares when they'd first arrived. She was a capable warrior, but one woman might only stand so long against a gaggle of drunken, lonely louts. Especially if she'd neglected to take her weapon with her. Grumbling at the irksomeness of it all, Zu left to find the missing girl. Dawn Star wouldn't get in any trouble preparing their evening meal. She was diligently cutting up vegetables, humming a tune under her breath, for a sumptuous feast, albeit a vegetarian one. Her work absorbed her so much, she probably wouldn't even notice she was all by herself.

It was quite a ways from their "base", as Dawn Star put it, that Zu found his quarry. Ling was surrounded by flowers as she slept, her delicate hand resting on her ribs. The scene was bathed in the red glow of the setting sun. It would appear that she was dreaming, judging from the way her crescent moon eyebrows were knit together, small moans pouring from between her lips. From time to time her ample hips would wriggle in a most titillating manner. Her hair had freed itself from the pin that confined it into a knot at the nape of her neck; it fanned out behind her head in long black locks, lustrous like a perfectly polished sapphire. A storm of emotions seemed to pass over her face.

The charm of her so dramatically different features struck Zu like a brutal blow to the stomach. Usually she looked so impassive, so unfeeling, or pensive at the most; it had not even occurred to him that Ling was capable of feeling. Even in the swamp, when the farmer who was almost eerily attached to his ox got slapped violently hard by his gabby wife, she hadn't cracked a smile. While even he had found it very amusing. Pretty though the girl might be, her constantly cool assessments left him wary of her. She was unreadable. Nothing or nobody could get a rise out of her, except for Dawn Star. Her expression would soften ever so slightly, a sparkle appearing in her normally dull eyes. Suddenly a fragrance he hadn't perceived in ages began to assail his senses. The heady fragrance of a woman. It caused an unwelcome reaction in him.

Alerted by a presence, Ling tore herself away from her dream. The image of a strong body riddled with scars, eagerly pressing down on her as soft lips caressed her skin, dissipated quickly as she bolted upright. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or peeved that the object of her obsession was standing so close to her. Seeing how she could have been overwhelmed by a group of unruly sailors, she decided she would rather be relieved.

"What are you doing out here?" Zu questioned sternly, shooting the young woman a grim glare. He was determined not to show the effect she had on him. It had been all too long since the last time he'd taken a woman to his bed. So long in fact, he could scarcely remember it.

Ling averted her gaze from the imposing figure. The heat of a warm blush crept into her face once more. "Just trying to clear my mind."

"I see." Her posture and her constant but probably subconscious fidgeting suggested great unrest. What was causing her to blush, he had no idea. "Has it worked?"

She shook her head without speaking, a sultry look in her eyes as she looked up at the former assassin. Nothing would work. His dark eyes would continue to burn in her mind, the thought of his strong arms and broad chest would never cease to haunt her. "I keep getting distracted." Her tongue darted out, flitting along her upper lip. What was wrong with her? This coquettish behavior was so unlike her. All this maidenly blushing wasn't like her.

An uneasy feeling nestled in his core, witnessing her obvious attempt at seduction. The worst part was that it seemed to be working. The unwelcome reaction her sleeping form had caused, was only getting stronger. Zu stole a glance at the swell of the girl's breasts, rising and falling with her ragged breathing. Exquisitely lovely. Like a celestial maiden, a prey to the vices of man. Where did that poetic nonsense come from? What was he thinking? Ling was young enough to be his daughter. Although in the Jade Empire it wasn't uncommon for women to have men at least twenty years their senior, Zu had no interest in picking young green leaves like some old goat. Up until now, apparently.

Suddenly her hand was around his as she gently drew him down beside her. "Is everything in order, Zu? You seem agitated." There was a tone of worry in her voice that he had never heard before.

"I am always _agitated_." His voice was unnecessarily gruff, and caused Ling to cringe.

She should have known. As if irrational, flirty behavior would arouse this man's interest. "Right. Well, I'm sure Dawn Star will have dinner ready by now." She rose abruptly. "Let's go." The barely audible quiver in her voice betrayed her shame at being treated so.

"Go on, I'll be right behind you." Something sharp poked into his leg. "I believe this is yours."

Gingerly she took her hairpin from his extended hand. "Thanks. I'll see you later." Her usual composure began to return, for which Ling was infinitely grateful. As she walked away, she casually redid her bun, securing it with the pin. By the time she would reach Dawn Star and the no doubt fine food she had prepared, her troubled mind would already be cooled down. Hopefully. If this town weren't bothered by a drought, she would not have hesitated to dunk her head in cold water.

Zu watched her leave, watched the muscle in her thighs flex with each deliberate step she took. The tightness of her midnight blue trousers showcased her form perfectly, the swaying of her hips only added to her almost unearthly charm. Scholar Ling moved with the grace and ease of a stalking wild cat. The hermit scoffed and shook his head. Why was he so attracted to her? Why were his loins practically calling her name? Maybe it was the years of celibacy talking. Maybe it was the scent he had picked up from her earlier, maybe it was the way she displayed her body to the world. Her curvy, but doubtlessly firm body, with skin that looked as smooth as silk. Grimacing, Zu covered his eyes with his hand. What had gotten into him?

Shouts alerted him soon after, and he was just in time to see how Ling disabled a sailor with a single blow to the temple. Four others were already unconscious at her feet. Quickly he raced over to her side.

"I have it under control," she told him flatly. Then she bent down, granting her companion another luxurious view of her chest, to pick something up. "Although it appears my pin is now broken." A slight frown appeared on her face as she looked intently at the broken object in her palm. "Great."

Sagacious Zu was at a loss for words. The way she was blushing and breathing heavily from the exertion, the slightly disheveled state of her clothes where someone had tugged at them, the wild disarray of her hair... She was simply irresistible. Before either of them fully realized what was going on, he had pinned her small body against a nearby wall. The already broken hairpin fell from her hand and shattered into a thousand pieces on the stone path. Deeply he inhaled the scent that was even more dizzying now that he was this close to her. The scent of jasmine that her hair exuded, mingled with the intoxicating scent of her sex that seemed to have pervaded every pore.

Ling gasped when she felt his lips on her neck, his rough hands hot on her sides. No matter how much she wanted him, she still had some common sense left. "Perhaps we should find someplace away from these people," she spoke breathlessly. The men that had accosted her were merely knocked out, not dead.

"No." The desire in his body was so powerful, that Zu would have her right then and there. Right in the streets of Tien's Landing, surrounded by unconscious ruffians. If they were smart, they'd leave them be. His mind had already become inactive, his body acting on nothing but impulse and instinct. His hands undid the ties at the side and the back of her top and threw it away, leaving her in the jacket that only covered her arms and shoulders. The feeling of finally being able to touch a woman so intimately was indescribable. The gentle pressure of her chest against his own made his mind reel. Her breasts fit right in his hands, softer and suppler than he could have ever imagined. A low, catlike moan exited her throat when his fingers took a hold of her nipples. The small buds immediately responded to his touch.

Toying with the little things, Zu managed to break their contact far enough to look at the girl's face. Her cheeks were dyed a deep crimson, her parted lips as moist as a rose might be with morning dew. She responded most favorably to his ministrations, sighing in delight with her eyes closed. Even the lightest touch seemed to cause an intense reaction. He conquered her mouth, his tongue finding easy access.

Ling gladly allowed this intrusion, tentatively caressing his tongue with her own. Her previously idle hands crept up his arms and shoulders, eagerly exploring and searching. Delicate fingertips, calloused from years of intense martial training, stroked every inch of uncovered skin they could find with evident relish. She hooked her leg around his hip to draw him closer. The obvious proof of his desire for her rubbed against her most sensitive of places, making her shudder deliciously. For once, Ling had decided, she would abandon all reason and simply enjoy herself. The men lying around them and their precarious position out in the open were all but forgotten.

Before long his soft lips moved to her neck, and even lower; her so prized intellect melted away into nothing. The young woman writhed and moaned shamelessly, digging her nails into his skin as Zu captured one of her nipples between his teeth. Gently he nibbled at it, plying the other one with his fingers and vice versa. Almost he would be ready to take her, but for now the enticing smell of her arousal beckoned him to pull down her trousers and without warning bury his face between her thighs. Kneeling before her, his tongue greedily lapped up all sweet moisture it encountered.

Ling uttered a scream upon feeling his tongue graze her sensitive nub. Instinctively she tilted her pelvis and was rewarded with a finger sliding into her. Not without delight the former assassin noticed how her moist flesh clung tightly to him. It did not take long for the girl to reach her peak; in mere moments her body began quivering as the powerful waves of pleasure rushed through her. Zu rose and briefly kissed her, offering her a taste of her own sex. His hands diligently worked at his robe to bare himself.

Unable to resist the urge, he turned her around and pressed his almost painfully engorged hardness against her entrance. Her moist heat easily gave way, the intimate muscles contracting tightly about him. Ling whimpered softly; she was being stretched and filled quite far. The pleasurable sensations far outweighed the painful ones, and soon, her heated cries filled the evening air. With every thrust a pang of delight was sent into her belly, causing her to cry out just a little louder. Zu covered the young woman's breasts with his arm, to protect them from the rough wall she was pressed against. His free hand caressed its way down her taut stomach and easily found that small spot of pleasure, so close above where they were joined together. His fingers circled and teased, feeling the little nub increase in size. It pulsated under his touch.

Ling was about to lose her mind, she felt, so strong was the onslaught of bliss on her heightened senses. And then she peaked again, violently thrashing against the wall and screaming with all her might. The resulting tightness of the soft flesh he was so snugly sheathed in, proved to be too much for Sagacious Zu. His labored grunts mingled with her delirious screams; after a few moments, he reached a peak higher than he'd ever climbed. His mind was racked with pure pleasure as he tightly clutched the young woman to his chest.

As soon as her ragged breathing had become more normal, Ling spoke dryly: "And that concludes my virginity."

"What?" Zu's frame stiffened. "Why didn't you..."

"Oh, don't worry." She chuckled wryly. "Had I been a fragile flower, my virginity might have fetched my parents a nice, rich son-in-law." With a satisfied hum, she stretched her tense limbs. "But with me being me, I need to be a virgin was much as a fish needs to have a flying machine."

And suddenly, all was chaos. Cheers, whistles and applause broke out. Upon turning, the pair found that they had attracted quite the crowd with their beastly congress. Sailors, beggars and courtesans had gathered around them, shouting about their excellent performance. Inwardly Zu groaned, but he kept his face reserved. He spied around for Ling's top, quickly found it and handed it to her, simultaneously making himself decent again.

With her face almost as red as the setting sun, she accepted the garment and began dressing. Her shame was so great, she felt like she should sink into the ground and forever disappear. Yet, despite herself, the ever deadly serious scholar Ling broke out into a genuine laugh at the sheer silliness of it all.


End file.
